


The Things She Notices

by strangerthingswasntthatgood



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: CW, Cancer, Death, F/F, Hospitals, Illness, andromaquynh, content warning, death mention, trigger warning, tw, unedited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29263233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangerthingswasntthatgood/pseuds/strangerthingswasntthatgood
Summary: Last time Nile saw someone act like Andromache, it was her grandmother. She bruised and her wounds wouldn't heal. She slept her days away and she barely ate. It only took six months before she passed. Nile is determined not to make the same mistake again.Please, be extra mindful of the tags and trigger warnings!
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	The Things She Notices

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilolilyrae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilolilyrae/gifts).



> I'll probably add characters and tags as I go!
> 
> Lilo gave me this prompt a while back and I finally got around to posting the first chapter. I'm currently studying full time and have two other andromaquynh multichapter wips, which means updates will be slow. Thank you for being patient with me!

Everything had been perfect since Quynh came back. Andy’s wound had almost healed and Booker was back with them. Joe and Nicky were planning their anniversary, after a month abroad. Nile had settled almost too well into their routines and only ever complained about the constant traveling when she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

Then there was Quynh, of course. She  _ glowed  _ with life and even though it had only been a few months, she had gained weight back and the swelling of her throat had almost disappeared. With some help from Nile, her hair was softer than it ever had been before and her lips were no longer cracked. Yes, everything had been perfect. 

Except it really hadn’t, but Andy did her best to ignore it. She was mortal. Booker was worse off than ever. Nicky was still angry and it was clearly tearing Joe and Nicky apart. Quynh had nightmares and couldn’t shower on her own, if at all. And then  _ the thing.  _ The pain. Not from the gunshot, but… somewhere else. Everywhere else, really. She bruised to the point it was almost impossible to hide from the others, and she couldn’t remember if that was just part of being mortal or something she had to worry about. At least she could pretend it wasn’t happening.

Until she couldn’t.

It was a Sunday. Nicky and Nile had just gotten back from church and Andy was spread out on the couch. Joe and Quynh had left to buy some new clothes and Booker had decided to visit his sons. He always did, when they were in Paris. It was almost routine at this point.

“I’m making lunch!” Nicky called from the door and before Andy could reply, Nile had flopped down in an armchair next to the couch.

“Nothing on TV?” she asked and Andy suspected it was more to start a conversation than an actual question.

“No.”

Silence fell between them. The noises from the kitchen were a nice reminder that nothing had really changed. Nicky still made the same noises as he had a hundred years ago. He still slammed the pots in the same way and always stumbled over the kitchen mat.

“Hey, Andy…” Nile began as if she was determined to discuss whatever it was that she had in mind. “Look, well…”

Andy had a look at her. She had pulled her legs to her chest and was staring at her toes. Andy had a quick look at her socks. Pink, with blue stars. Andy bit back a laugh.

“What is it?”

Andy pushed herself up from where she was. The blanket fell from her body. She wasn’t cold, but the blanket was fuzzy and felt a little like a hug. Not to mention that Quynh had taken a liking to it and it smelled just like her.

“Are you okay?” Nile asked, carefully, at last. She looked at Andy, now. Her forehead was furrowed and Andy could almost  _ feel _ the concern. It was another thing she wasn’t used to and she didn’t like it much. She was supposed to take care of her team, not the other way around.

“Yes.”

It was only after she replied that she realized she replied too quickly. Clearly a lie. You’d think she had learned by now, from all the years of lying to Nicky and Joe when they gave up looking for Quynh. From all the years when she looked for her, in secret. But no. She was still human, after all.

“Reassuring”, Nile muttered sarcastically and had another look at the turned-off television. “I know-... I know the others don’t notice because they don’t remember. Booker might, but he’s too depressed to. But I do. I notice.”

“Notice what?” Andy asked, even though she knew the answer. Nile rolled her eyes at her.

“You sleep a lot. Like,  _ a lot _ . And you’re sore, right? You’ve lost weight and it shouldn’t take that long for a gunshot to heal, not even one to the stomach.”

“Nile”, Andy warned, but before she could say anything else, the youngest of them continued.

“I’m actually surprised Booker doesn’t notice. He told me about his youngest and-...”

“Nile”, Andy said again, this time as sternly as she could. “Stop this.”

She didn’t stop. She didn’t even take any notice of Andy’s voice.

“My grandma was sick, you know. Before she died. She was the same. She died, Andy.”

“Nile, if you say another word-...”

They sat in silence, then. Andy fiddled with the necklace around her throat. Quynh hadn’t wanted it back.  _ It has worked, has it not?  _ she had said, then placed her head against Andy’s chest.  _ You need protection now more than ever, my love. _

Quynh would kill her if Nile was right. Maybe not kill, in the literal sense, but she’d be upset. The thought hurt enough for Andy to glance up at Nile. She glanced out a window now, still with her legs pressed to her upper body.

“What-... what do you suggest?” Andy’s voice was barely above a whisper. Nile turned to her so quickly Andy was almost surprised.

“Hospital”, Nile said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. “I suggest you go to the hospital.”

Nicky had turned on the radio. Andy could’ve thanked him for it. She didn’t want anyone to know about this. Least of all Quynh, and she had always been able to drag secrets out of Nicky and Joe in a way Andy didn’t.

“Will you…”, Andy began, searching for words. “Don’t…”

“I won’t”, Nile said. Nile sat down next to her. “I can come with you if you’d like. We can say you’re showing me things. Until we know for sure.”


End file.
